


Older

by QueenRedhead



Series: Fear of Thunder [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Brotherly Love, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Loki doesn't like to be vulnerable, Teen Loki, Teen Thor, Thor (Marvel) is a Good Bro
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-05
Updated: 2019-02-05
Packaged: 2019-10-23 00:49:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17673251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenRedhead/pseuds/QueenRedhead
Summary: In which Thor and Loki are a bit older, and Loki won't admit what he's afraid of.





	Older

**Author's Note:**

> I imagine them to be more in their teen years here, but once again I don't have a specific number in mind.

Thor woke out of a dead sleep to someone pounding on his bedroom door. He barely had time to rub his eyes before that same someone was hovering over the side of his bed, glaring down at him.

“Thor,” said Loki, arms crossed, expression icy. Not that Thor could see it very well in the dark.

“Mblrg,” Thor groaned. He sat up and stretched his arms. Something in his back popped. “Why do you knock if you're just going to barge in anyway?”

Loki didn't falter, and that was on principle. “It's a warning.”

“Of course… And-”

“And I'm here to tell you to stop the storm.”

“Storm…?” Thor paused to listen into the silence. It turned out there wasn't silence after all - he soon detected the muted sound of rain thumping against his windows and splashing onto the ground outside. He must have tuned it out as he was sleeping. “Ah, the storm.”

“Yes, the storm, you oaf, that's what I just said.”

Thor looked to Loki and said wryly, “You know I don’t control all weather, don't you?”

“This isn't all weather, it's a certain kind of weather,” Loki said. “A weather that, I seem to recall, you have an affinity for.”

Thor almost wanted to laugh at how argumentative his brother was, but he knew that wouldn't do him any good. “Yes, but what I’m saying is I didn't make this storm, so there's nothing I can do about it.”

Loki opened his mouth, grasping for some kind of retort, some kind of insult, anything so it wouldn't seem like he was faltering.

Thor cut him off before he could spit something out. “In any case, why do you want to stop the storm? It's not interfering with your witchcraft, is it?”

“First of all, it's not witchcraft, it's sorcery,” Loki huffed. “Second of all-”

Lightning flashed from outside, briefly washing the room in bluish-white light. Loki stopped short as he flinched and quickly covered his eyes.

Thor couldn't help but smirk. “Brother? You wouldn't happen to be afraid of lightning, would you?”

“I'm not!” Loki snapped. “It's-”

Predictably, a few seconds after the lightning flashed, thunder crashed above them. It wasn't the worst Thor had ever heard, but it was still loud enough to echo throughout the room. Thor found it invigorating. Loki, on the other hand, almost jumped out of his skin, clapping his hands over his ears and clenching his jaw painfully tight.

Thor’s smirk widened.

“Brother?” he said. “You wouldn't happen to be afraid of thunder, would you?”

Principles be damned, Loki turned a shade of red Thor had never seen on him before stammering, “I am not!”

Thor wasn’t sure what to do with such leverage. Loki had never broken his composure so completely before, had never so blatantly revealed his own vulnerability. His first reaction was to laugh, and so he did, heartily, but only for a moment.

He couldn’t continue when he notice the way Loki’s posture sagged.

His brother wasn’t one to miss an opportunity. He had terrorized Thor with tricks and schemes since the moment he first began learning magic. Thor had the scars to prove it. But, for some reason, when put in the same position, Thor couldn’t find it in his heart to strike.

Not when his brother looked so afraid. So sad.

Loki, eyes cast down, said, “Forget I was ever here. Speak a word of this to anyone and there will be consequences.”

Then he turned and made to walk away.

Thor grabbed his arm before he could. “Brother, wait-“

Loki whipped back around, ripping his arm from Thor’s grasp. “What? You want to laugh at me some more? Make fun? Go ahead, take your shots. Get it out of your system.”

Ashamed and slightly wounded, Thor swung his legs over the side of his bed and stood up. Despite being younger, Loki had always been about his height, so it wasn’t hard to make eye contact. Loki stared him down, unmoving, as if challenging Thor to do his worst.

Instead, Thor rested a hand on the side of his brother’s neck and said, “It’s okay to be afraid.”

Loki seemed ready to lash out before he realized the meaning of the words. “I… what?”

Thor smiled. “It’s okay. You have nothing to be embarrassed about. Every person has fears. They’re not a sign of weakness, they’re a part of being alive. Maybe you fear thunder. Maybe you don’t. It’s fine either way, but I want you to know something regardless.”

Even if he wanted to escape, the hand on his neck prevented him, so Loki asked quietly, “And what is that?”

“As long as I’m around, as long as we’re together, thunder will never hurt you. I won’t allow it.”

Loki would never admit to it, but Thor saw the way his eyes began to glisten. “Is that all?”

Thor nodded and removed his hand. “That is all.”

“Then I’ll be going back to bed.” Free at last, Loki stepped away and started toward the door. Thor plopped back down onto his bed and watched him go, tilting his head as his brother paused in the doorway.

He lingered for a few seconds, and right as he moved to shut the door, Thor swore he heard a tiny, whispered, “Thank you.”

Then he was alone again, sitting by himself in the dark, but it didn’t really feel that way.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> If you want to watch me cope with stress by cracking jokes (or you want info about requests), you can follow me on Twitter: [Queen_Redhead](https://twitter.com/Queen_Redhead)
> 
> Or, if you have any questions about me or what I do (especially if you want to remain anonymous), here's my Curious Cat: [Queen_Redhead](https://curiouscat.me/Queen_Redhead)


End file.
